S1 Wildcard Bengals vs Dolphins

The Bengals traveled to Miami for the opening game of the Wildcard Round, AFC style. The Bengals have been extremely hot as of late, with 9 consecutive wins, while the Dolphins have a relatively new coach but have shown moments of greatness as of late.​

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The Bengals started the game hot as they were able to put points on the board from their defense on the very first drive. Terrance Newman intercepted the ball and returned it for the TD to give the Bengals a early lead.​

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The endzone was a popular place to be in the first half as this game started to look like it would end with a NBA type score as both teams put up 14 in the first quarter. In the second the Bengals exploded with 24 more points, and the Dolphins 14. Halftime score of 38-28 Bengals.​

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While the first half was nearly all offense, the second half turned into a defensive struggle. Evidently both teams figured out what the opposition was trying to do and both defenses played much better. The Bengals were able to find the endzone once to extend their lead while the Dolphins were shut out during the 3rd. In the fourth, with only a little over a minute remaining, the Dolphins drove down the field and scored on a wild QB scramble for nearly 25 yards. The odd thing here was that Dolphins didn't attempt a onside kick to attempt to get the ball back, and kicked it in the endzone for a touchback. The Bengals proceeded to call victory formation and kneel the ball to end the game.​

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The key to the Bengals winning this one was definitely their running game. The combination of Cedric Peerman and The Lawfirm both played excellent football that extended drives and allowed the Bengals to run the clock at their disposal. Numerous times the Bengals had very very time consuming drives that didn't allow the Dolphins the opportunities to play catch up.​

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FINAL SCORE ​

BENGALS 45​

DOLPHINS 35​

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Player of the Game Honors​

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MLB Rey Maualuga- 7 TACKLES, 3 FOR LOSS, 1 FORCED FUMBLE​

Maualuga done a great job of containing speedster Reggie Bush and holding him to only a mediocre game.​